Skip to main content

Oppo’s Flash Initiative will put phone fast charging in your next car

Oppo is seriously expanding the reach of its VOOC fast wireless charging tech. The company has announced “The Flash Initiative,” which is essentially a series of partnerships that will see accessory manufacturers, chipmakers, and even car companies adopt Oppo’s VOOC fast wireless charging tech.

Included in the initiative are deals with FAW-Volkswagen, Anker, and NXP Semiconductors. Between them, Oppo says, consumers should be able to get fast wireless charging for their devices in their car, in their home, and even in some public spaces.

“The Flash Initiative reflects Oppo’s belief in humancentric technologies that make a difference in people’s everyday lives. And thanks to our new partners, our proprietary technologies can reach more people than ever before,” said Adler Feng, Oppo senior director of intellectual property, in a statement at Mobile World Congress Shanghai. “This is a vital step in freeing consumers to use their devices however they want, no matter what they need to do or where in the world they are.”

Of course, it remains to be seen just how deep this partnership runs, and how many cars and accessories actually adopt the charging tech, but Oppo has given a few details about the partnerships. For example, Anker will build electronics like power banks, headphones, and even vacuums that incorporate the wireless charging tech. And the deal with FAW Group and Volkswagen Group will see the charging tech built into at least some of their cars — likely only in China.

You might actually use VOOC fast wireless charging without even knowing it. Oppo is owned by electronics giant BBK Electronics, which also owns OnePlus, Vivo, and Realme, and as a result, those brands use the same tech in their phones — but under different names. The most well-known in the U.S. is OnePlus’ Warp Charge. It’s relatively confusing, confounded by the fact that wireless charging standards in general are already confusing.

Unfortunately, even if you have an Oppo phone and a compatible charger, you may not end up getting the fastest charging that you could get. While the tech is somewhat backward compatible, if there’s any big mismatch between the phone and the charger, you’ll simply charge at normal wireless charging speeds. The result is that if you really want to use built-in fast wireless charging in your car, you’ll either have to buy the right phone, or buy the right car. That’s where a true standard could really help.

Christian de Looper
Christian’s interest in technology began as a child in Australia, when he stumbled upon a computer at a garage sale that he…
CES 2023: MagSafe-like charging is coming to Android phones this year
iPhone 12 Pro Max with MagSafe charger

The Wireless Power Consortium (WPC) announced a new standard for wireless charging called Qi2 during CES 2023.

Qi2 s a new standard that aims to unify the mobile industry under a global standard for convenience and efficiency when it comes to charging mobile devices and wearables.

Read more
This Android phone charges from 0 to 100% in under 10 minutes — and you can’t have it
Xiaomi 12 Pro and charging block.

The charging benchmarks set by Android phones are quite astounding — with some phones being able to charge at 200 watts. If that wasn’t enough, a new Android phone takes it up a notch.

Xiaomi’s newly launched smartphone, the Redmi Note 12 Explorer, brings 210W charging, which is the fastest on any smartphone we've seen to date. The proprietary charging tech charges the phone to 66 percent in five minutes and up to 100 percent in about nine minutes. This is extremely impressive considering that the flagship offerings from the likes of Apple and Google take close to two hours for a complete charge.

Read more
AT&T just made it a lot easier to upgrade your phone
AT&T Storefront with logo.

Do you want to upgrade your phone more than once a year? What about three times a year? Are you on AT&T? If you answered yes to those questions, then AT&T’s new “Next Up Anytime” early upgrade program is made for you. With this add-on, you’ll be able to upgrade your phone three times a year for just $10 extra every month. It will be available starting July 16.

Currently, AT&T has its “Next Up” add-on, which has been available for the past several years. This program costs $6 extra per month and lets you upgrade by trading in your existing phone after at least half of it is paid off. But the new Next Up Anytime option gives you some more flexibility.

Read more